Abstract
Female integration into the police has been hampered by the way police officers represent policing and the role men and women should play in this activity. This article intends to contribute to the understanding of the nature of these representations and barriers. Does being a man or a woman condition the perception that physical strength and courage are key attributes for policing? Does it influence the view that male police officers are better equipped for operational activities and female police officers for care and assistance activities? The article analyzes these questions through multivariate quantitative analysis of data from a survey conducted in 2012 at the Military Police of the State of Paraná (PMPR), Brazil. The data indicate that men and women agree with the view that policing is an activity that demands physical strength and courage, but maintain different views on who is more able to perform operational activities. These results suggest considerable difficulties in integrating women into police operational activities.
gender; military police; perception; survey research; Paraná